MSU offers bachelor's program to community college nursing students

Nursing students at two community colleges in Michigan will be able to work toward their bachelor's degree under a new agreement with Michigan State University.

MSU says the collaboration with Lansing and Macomb County Community Colleges will let nursing students enroll in two summer sessions at MSU while simultaneously finishing their associate degree program.

"This is a perfect program for someone who has been in the work force, moving into the associate degree, getting their credentialing so that they can look for a job in nursing, and then complete their baccalaureate degree while they're able to be employed as a nurse," says Teresa Wehrwein, an associate dean at MSU's College of Nursing.

Wehrwein says it's predicted that at least 30 percent of the practicing registered nurses in the state will retire in ten years or less.

"So as the individuals are beginning to prepare and coming out in three or four years, they certainly will be looking at a much stronger job market," Wehrwein says.